Kylie Padilla: 'I Learned That a Baby Does Bring People Together'

Kylie Padilla is blessed with good genes. Her mestiza good looks from her mom Liezl Sicangco are perfectly balanced by dad Robin Padilla's humor and charm, and some would even say that she has the smile of the "Bad Boy of Philippine Cinema". It's easy to say, therefore, that Kylie is a real beauty whichever angle you look at her from (she looks even prettier in person).

But Kylie would be the first to refuse such a label -- and the baby she carries in her womb has a lot to do with it. Now on her seventh month of pregnancy, the 24-year-old spoke with passion about the purpose and inner strengths of a woman, something she discovered in preparation for motherhood. She sat down with Smartparenting.com.ph for this exclusive interview:

SP: What made you suspect that you were pregnant?Kylie: Mga minor (signs) lang muna. Since I was taping then, sanay na akong di kumakain, sanay na akong puyat at pagod. Pero nung buntis na ako, hindi ko mapigilan hindi kumain talaga tapos yung pagod ko kakaiba, as in parang my soul was being sucked down to the depths of the Earth! (laughs) Mararamdaman mo talaga na there’s something wrong. Then after a few weeks na ganun ako, napapansin na rin ni AJ (nickname of actor Aljur Abrenica, Kylie’s boyfriend) na merong something different. When I missed a period, yun yung major sign. Before I took the test I knew that I was pregnant kasi I never miss a period.

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It was a BIG surprise. Not just a surprise, a really big one. Before I took the test, I was in denial. I was in denial but I knew (laughs). I was in denial. The morning I took the test I had taping that day. The whole at taping I was just holding it, I was, like, "Is this real?" I called my mom, and I was ... more on shock e. I was crying, like, "How am I gonna handle this?" (Watch the video interview below)

SP: Who did you tell first?Kylie: AJ, of course, [because] I live with him. He was still saying, “Antayin natin, baka darating pa rin yung mens (menstruation) mo.” [When it was confirmed], he wasn’t surprised. Sabi niya lang, “nandyan na yan so alagaan na natin,” and then nagpa-schedule na siya agad ng OB-gyn.Then I called my mom. The first thing she said was, don’t do anything [that could] harm the baby, to adjust to contracts or shows. So I was like, “Okay ma,” I followed her advice.

SP: When did you tell your Dad?Kylie: After I told my manager and after I said let’s tell the people na, I told my dad. Actually, hindi rin siya nagulat, sabi lang niya, “Alagaan mo yung apo ko, anak.”

I know he's happy, I know he's excited. The thing is, he wants us to get married before the baby comes out. That's his, like, "Okay na after you get married." Ako naman, my side is -- and this is just me -- ayokong mapilit to get married just because I'm having a kid. I don't want the intentions to be in the wrong place. So okay, we're engaged, but let's not rush. One by one tayo. When we're settled with the baby na, and okay na sya, and healthy sya, maybe one year after, let's get married after. Ang saya nun pag nakakalakad na di ba, kasama na namin. Ayoko lang talaga ng rushed. I don't think I could adjust well na 'Ay nagpakasal lang kami kasi na-pressure kami'. No. I don't wanna feel any pressure. Sorry, I won't crack.

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SP: Do you have a time for when the wedding will be?Kylie: Probably when our baby starts walking? Is that a while? Medyo matagal pa. Pero I have this fantasy kasi -- and when I have a fantasy I work toward making it happen -- na dala nya yung rings. So we might have to wait a while, but I really want that to happen. I don't know, we'll see. That's a traditional wedding setup, but then you can always go for just the papers, right, and you have the ring. But may image lang talaga ako na yung anak ko magdadal ng singsing sa amin, so we'll wait for that. (Watch the video interview below)

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SP: What are the other changes you felt in your body?Kylie: The morning sickness came in before I even took the pregnancy test, I was already feeling nauseous. I just felt dizzy in the morning. May mga pagkain na ayokong kainin. A few weeks after that, nag-start na talaga. Everytime I get into the car, kailangan ko ng plastic kasi nakakahilo yung kotse, then nagsusuka na ako every morning. And not just in the morning; after one take, balik ako ng kotse, suka ulit. The whole day. Ang hirap. Saka sobrang takaw ko matulog. This happened during the first trimester and then the first few weeks of the second trimester. I was very emotional din, super highs and lows.

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When I watch movies na favorite ko, na alam ko na yung movie, I already memorized it, pag napanood ko sya this time, na naiiyak na ako na 'Oh my god, ganon pala yun, o nakakaawa sya". Iba na yung empathy level ko.The most challenging part? Leaving my show. Leaving Encantadia was really hard, kasi my character was just building up. She's the queen and she's proud of it, she's claiming it, and she just got reunited with her daughter, and I was feeling so in love with her character na rin. And then I had to make a choice, whether to leave or stay. That was really hard. (Watch the video interview below)

SP: Was there a special diet that you followed?Kylie: No, when I was in my first trimester I ate everthing. I was always eating fast food, pero hindi naman everyday. Tapos when I was approaching my second trimester, my nurse said that I was getting big too fast, so sabi niya, bawasan mo ng konti yung pagkain mo kasi your baby will get too big, baka mahirapan ka. So now, I’m back to vegetables, fruits.

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IMAGE Lai de Guzman

SP: There was an issue about skin darkening. Did it affect you enough to try whitening products?Kylie: Nung nangyari yun, [I was thinking] bakit ginawang issue ito? Yung mga pampaputi may chemicals yun. Nung ginawang issue yung darkening of the kili-kili, I was like, Are you saying it’s ugly to have dark underarm? Yung mga ganyan, you should be proud of it kasi katawan mo yun.

Before I was pregnant, I was really self-conscious and I had a really low self-esteem. And it really mattered to me how much I weighed, how much I looked, what people thought, so I always wanna please the people. And then when I got pregnant I was like ... it still takes effort though, it's not just 'Yeah, I'm okay now.' But when you get pregnant, parang ano eh, there's so much more that matters than just what you look like. Even why I'm in show business. Bakit ba ako nandito? Oh my gosh, mali lahat kasi I was just here because it was easy. It was an easy career, I could get in fast, my dad is Robin Padilla. Wala yung totoong purpose e, why am I here talaga. I'm influencing people and I didn't know I had that big of an influence as an artist. So when I have this kid na, I wanna set a good example. I wanna fight for women's rights. We need more examples of women na hindi lang for ... I don't know how to say this ... hindi lang for how men see women, like sexy lang, ganyan lang, decoration lang. We have so much more to offer to the world, and if I can at least show a little bit of that in my little influence in showbiz, maybe there's a purpose to what I'm doing here. It's not just all about 'I'm so pretty, I'm so famous, ang dami kong followers'. It's so much more about something deeper than that. (Watch the video interview below)

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SP: Do you do any exercises now that you’re pregnant?Kylie: Yes. Yoga and walking. Before I was pregnant, I was doing gymnastics and almost all the martial arts: Arnis de Mano, Muay Thai, Judo, Kendo … sobrang dami. I even stopped school for one year just to train in martial arts. Umaga, gymnastics. Lunch time, Muay Thai. 3pm, gym, tapos meron pa sa gabi, and that was my program for about 1 year. Kaya nagulat din ako nung nabuntis ako, biglang hindi ko na kaya yung mga ganun. Mabilis akong hingalin so I had to be careful.

SP: Have you discussed a birthing plan with your ob-gyn?I was researching online and there was this mother who tried natural birthing. Water birth pa. So you know how there's a pool in the middle of the room, and then pag lalabas na talaga, pasok ka dun sa pool and then dun mo na sya ilalabas. And what really attracted me to this type of birthing was, sabi nung doula dun sa interview, that's the beauty of the whole natural process, is sobrang sakit na nung naramdaman mo, but when you see the kid, and ikaw na yung sumalo sa ulo, sobrang high. Iba daw yung high na nararamdaman ng mother towards the kid, so I said I wanna feel that. (Watch the video interview below)

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SP: Have you thought of a baby name yet?Kylie: I have a lot, can I say a few? I wanted Elijah, I wanted Joaquin. And then may pangalan na si AJ na he said, “I’ve always wanted to name my son this name.” But he still wants to keep it a secret. And then I said, “ok but can we negotiate a second name ?” I’m planning to go to him after I give birth, “Sige na ibigay mo na sakin yung second name, ico-corner ko na lang siya, or pag di siya nakatingin, isusulat ko yung pangalan [sa birth certificate]. (laughs)

What I learned is that a baby does bring people together. People's hearts get softer when a baby is around. There's more understanding, specially when it comes to my parents, na ah kaya pala. May ganun na, na kaya pala overprotective si Papa noon, cause now I know what it feels like to have a responsibility na to a kid. It's nice to see them smile when you talk about the kid. And yun lang ang pinakagusto ko, ganun lang kasimple, na may peace na all of a sudden. (Watch the video interview below)

SP: Your Papa and your Mama have always been there for you. What kind of support does your Tita Mariel give you during this time?Kylie: My mom's not here e, she's in Australia. She's taking care of my two siblings there. Understandable, right? Pero hindi ko na-expect na ... (pauses) I don't wanna cry ... hindi ko in-expect na my stepmother would be my step-in mother. And she's organizing my baby shower, she texts me everyday, 'How are you?'. 'Take this lesson,' 'You have to have this when you're pregnant,' 'This is for your baby'. So parang life got so much easier. And she's doing this while she's also a mother din to her kid, so thank you so much. Kakaiba din yung love nya sa akin. Thank you, Tita. The Little Prince theme also came from Tita Mariel, so I'm really thankful to have her in my life right now. She's being a mom to me, too.(Watch the video interview below)

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SP: What was the greatest lesson you've learned so far from your pregnancy?There was a sense of power na rin as a woman. I don't know, I was raised Bad Boy ng Pilipinas (referring to Robin Padilla), men are stronger than women. I don't believe that, but may ganon na akong stigma na men rule the world. Tapos nung nabuntis ako, parang iba. Hindi. We give birth to men, di ba? So I should be proud that I'm a woman. I shouldn't be shy or adjusting to the background, na invisible lang ako. Okay lang ipakita mo na tough ka. So ayun yung nabigay nya sa akin na pinakagusto ko talaga. That's what I like most about this pregnancy, it's because na-full circle na yung pagiging babae ko. (Watch the video interview below)